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Max Payne 3 |OT| Funny as hell, we couldn't decide on a sub-title

lush

Member
Holy hell that burst that makes the opposing team's teammates appear as enemies is fucking obnoxious. There needs to be some type of team cooldown on that shit. People are spamming the hell out of it.
 

soultron

Banned
I feel like every TPS ever should have physics like this game.

I disagree. A game like Vanquish should move at lightning speed.

A game like this is much more grounded in reality, so the heft given to the animation makes sense, given the context.

Stadium down. Love that chapter. I'm really starting to love the attention that most encounters get; makes every single one of them feel very unique.

I know I'm really starting to sound like an apologist for this game, but the cover system is making more sense in Hard. Enemies rush you if you turtle for too long, blindfire can still get you injured, and chaining stuff like rolls and shootdodging is important when you're given the space to be mobile. If your aim is shit, this game will punish you. But if you adjust the game's settings properly -- to the point where you feel comfortable and can manoeuvre the reticule effectively -- you should be able to cope very easily.

This playthrough is turning out to be much more fun since I've completely adjusted to the way this game plays now. I already know the story, and while I still enjoy it, I'm finding that I'm focusing more on just making every encounter as fun as possible by shootdodging everywhere and taking lots of risks. Again, knowing the full extent of Max's movement vocabulary really helps in knowing when you can take risks.
 

CTE

Member
Having the most fun I've had in a SP shooter in years, man. YEARS.

I can see how some might not like it. I realize this won't be everyone's perfect game. It's my GOTY so far, though.

Only played one MP match so far, but it was lots of fun. I got to level 2 in 1 round. 1:2 k:d ratio. Opposite the 2:1 I want, but still not an awful first round. Mostly due to one guy who got me 6 or 7 times in that match due to perfect timing on his part. Only faced him twice out of those deaths. So he got the jump on me the other times. He was an "Obey" crew member.
 

Dacon

Banned
I disagree. A game like Vanquish should move at lightning speed.

A game like this is much more grounded in reality, so the heft given to the animation makes sense, given the context.

.

Moving at lightning speed doesn't mean the game shouldn't have heftier physics.

Anyway, just my opinion.
 

soultron

Banned
Moving at lightning speed doesn't mean the game shouldn't have heftier physics.

Anyway, just my opinion.

So do you mean a game like Vanquish should have animation that's powered by Euphoria? Just curious to hear you elaborate. I thought you were saying that Vanquish should move at a slower speed like MP3 does.

Anyhow, Chapter IV (so goooood). Shootdodging over the back of a car in an alleyway, I shoot a guy through a car, the slow mo cam kicks in, and as he's dying a nearby car explodes sending him flying backwards. A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++.
 
It just doesn't feel very much like Max Payne to me. The cover plus the euphoria floatyness makes it feel MUCH more like GTA4 than MP2. But I understand some people really liked how that felt. Max does not turn like a boat (like Niko), but Max almost glided in the old PC versions. It felt TOO GAMEY I guess
It really is a more polished GTA. Attach to cover, roll, run thats never as fast as you need it to be when you're in the shit (read: way too fucking slow), and no smooth way to move from cover to cover, although rolling and then attaching is your best bet most of the time.

Encounter design is also straight out of GTA. Dudes pop out, then more dudes, and sometimes an overwhelming amount of dudes (like a dozen guys in a 30 by 30 square space. Somebody thought that would be awesome. And maybe after the tenth retry it approaches that.) Rockstar really needs to let go a bit, to let their scenarios breathe, and to let players "play" and truly contribute within their scenarios. The player is every bit as important to the end result as the designer - its a collaboration, but Rockstar always seems to force things just a tad too much down one avenue. Throw in the fact that even the cool moments you think a scenario was designed for might stilll get you killed just because of the chaos that ensues from far too many too-close firefights and how much damage you can take recovering from a slow-time move you're forced to engage in. Hell even blindfire can get you torn to shit. So be prepared to retry a few too many battles a few too many times.

All that said when all the pieces happen to fall together in the right way, the end result is nothing short of pure shooter heaven. Put that together with Max's dialogue and a world oozing with style and combat at every turn and I'm still hooked. This is a flawed gem, but its just straddling greatness and has enough character to it to have me overlook its flaw and want to not only see whats next, but take the time to master the mechanics. That's high praise for a game that annoys me as often as it entertains.

BTW - Whoever said that the enemies aren't bullet sponges is completely fucking wrong. Flak vests either have absolutely nothing to do with it or aren't required at all for enemies to just shrug off your rifle bursts. I've fought plenty of half naked dudes (like bare chested, shorts and sneakers only) that have taken burst after burst of rifle fire center-of-mass only to keep picking themselves back up off the ground after I was certain they were toast.
 

leng jai

Member
I have a feeling this game is going to be vastly improved on PC given it's a decent port. 60FPS would make a big difference and the aiming on mouse would be more suited to the need for head shots.
 

Raziel

Member
I bit the bullet on this one and bought it and am disappointed with the controls. As others have said, it is better than GTA4 and RDR but still always behind the standards of the current year it seems. I am only two chapters in but so far playing it with anything other than hard lock is intolerable to me. There's just something about the way Rockstar designs third-person gunfights, AI, enemy numbers, etc + the way they control that makes it feel like free aim doesn't work or is just tedious. I can't determine what it is exactly. Sort of like trying to control GTA4 with free aim didn't work (at least for me). Much of my experience so far reminds me of my time spent with GTA4 + episodes, in a tight corridor with dudes getting right in my face while I fight with the controls and lose a ton of health.

Also don't like how much you have to depend on cover generally because the game/gameplay just feels kind of standard that way and because the cover system has issues of its own (its not good).
 

Teknoman

Member
I have a feeling this game is going to be vastly improved on PC given it's a decent port. 60FPS would make a big difference and the aiming on mouse would be more suited to the need for head shots.

I hope so...that Nvidia graph made it seem like its just a bit too demanding for how the game looks/fairly closed environments.
 
I bit the bullet on this one and bought it and am disappointed with the controls. As others have said, it is better than GTA4 and RDR but still always behind the standards of the current year it seems. I am only two chapters in but so far playing it with anything other than hard lock is intolerable to me. There's just something about the way Rockstar designs third-person gunfights, AI, enemy numbers, etc + the way they control that makes it feel like free aim doesn't work or is just tedious. I can't determine what it is exactly. Sort of like trying to control GTA4 with free aim didn't work (at least for me). Much of my experience so far reminds me of my time spent with GTA4 + episodes, in a tight corridor with dudes getting right in my face while I fight with the controls and lose a ton of health.

Also don't like how much you have to depend on cover generally because the game/gameplay just feels kind of standard that way and because the cover system has issues of its own (its not good).
I had to max out all the sliders before aiming felt right for me. Might be worth a shot, especially if you find yourself aiming far too slow in what goes for QTEs in this game.

...And why the eff is the reticle so small?
You can change the reticle in the options. You can also choose a control scheme where (X) is reload and (B) is attach-to-cover, thank the gods.
 

Lakitu

st5fu
You know what feels awesome?

Kill some dude in front of you who has a pretty nice rifle but there are some other guys ahead of you, you're low on ammo so you go into bullet time and roll to grab the rifle to kill the guys up ahead. All in one bullet-time movement. Happened to me in the
Favelas.
I love this game.
 

Sidzed2

Member
This is one of those games that can be absolutely brilliant when it clicks, if not first in it's class, but which falls down hard whenever the mechanics let you down.

If not for the style, presentation, characters and story, this would be a flawed shooter with great physics. As it is, it's often more than the sum of its parts.

I think this game's Max may be my favourite gaming character ever.
 
BTW - Whoever said that the enemies aren't bullet sponges is completely fucking wrong. Flak vests either have absolutely nothing to do with it or aren't required at all for enemies to just shrug off your rifle bursts. I've fought plenty of half naked dudes (like bare chested, shorts and sneakers only) that have taken burst after burst of rifle fire center-of-mass only to keep picking themselves back up off the ground after I was certain they were toast.

Is the "X" that marks a kill off by default and people aren't turning it on? Or are people not taking notice of how the screen kind of flashes when you kill someone? I really don't understand how some of your think just because someone is down that they're dead when the game gives you 2 distinct notices of when the person IS actually dead.
 

White Man

Member
What bugs me is that I can't really tell when I'm getting shot in SP. Every time I clear a room and glance at my health and wonder when I got shot a bunch of times.
 
Is the "X" that marks a kill off by default and people aren't turning it on? Or are people not taking notice of how the screen kind of flashes when you kill someone? I really don't understand how some of your think just because someone is down that they're dead when the game gives you 2 distinct notices of when the person IS actually dead.
No, I know about the X. I'm talking more about the audio/visual feedback, flinches, animations and common sense expectations from that feedback.

Big half naked dude in the favela takes a burst of fire to the chest from my AK and drops. Moments later he gets back up firing at me like I just annoyed him with the several bullet holes across his ribs. So I give him another burst and drop him again. Now imagine my shock, surprise and dismay when he pulls himself up yet again and opens fire like nothing happened.

That's textbook bullet-sponge in action, and I just don't want people to get the wrong idea. Armored foes are just that much tougher.

But don't get me wrong - I could write an essay on all the things this game gets wrong, but all the same I'm going to play the unholy shit out of it, just for the moments where it all comes together, both gunplay and character/world building.
 

CTE

Member
I bit the bullet on this one and bought it and am disappointed with the controls. As others have said, it is better than GTA4 and RDR but still always behind the standards of the current year it seems. I am only two chapters in but so far playing it with anything other than hard lock is intolerable to me. There's just something about the way Rockstar designs third-person gunfights, AI, enemy numbers, etc + the way they control that makes it feel like free aim doesn't work or is just tedious. I can't determine what it is exactly. Sort of like trying to control GTA4 with free aim didn't work (at least for me). Much of my experience so far reminds me of my time spent with GTA4 + episodes, in a tight corridor with dudes getting right in my face while I fight with the controls and lose a ton of health.

Also don't like how much you have to depend on cover generally because the game/gameplay just feels kind of standard that way and because the cover system has issues of its own (its not good).

You're using the cover system wrong. It's to quickly set up shots and gain a moment to take a painkiller or two. The way you said "depend on cover" makes me think you are playing this way. I have no idea if you are or not, though. If you are. Stop using cover and use shoot dodge and bullet time more to your advantage.

Also turn off all the other aiming options in the menu. too. Turn up aiming acceleration to 9 or 10. Mess with your aiming speeds, vertical and horizontal.


No, I know about the X. I'm talking more about the audio/visual feedback, flinches, animations and common sense expectations from that feedback.

Big half naked dude in the favela takes a burst of fire to the chest from my AK and drops. Moments later he gets back up firing at me like I just annoyed him with the several bullet holes across his ribs. So I give him another burst and drop him again. Now imagine my shock, surprise and dismay when he pulls himself up yet again and opens fire like nothing happened.

That's textbook bullet-sponge in action, and I just don't want people to get the wrong idea. Armored foes are just that much tougher.

But don't get me wrong - I could write an essay on all the things this game gets wrong, but all the same I'm going to play the unholy shit out of it, just for the moments where it all comes together, both gunplay and character/world building.


I've never had anyone get up a third time. Rarely a second time. You can pump a few extra into them when they go down to make sure, too. Sometimes I'm not sure if they're getting back up or if it's euphoria working it's magic. Like the time in the stadium I thought a dude was rolling towards me, then I realized he was dead and just rolling down the stairs......all the way to the bottom. Awesome.
 
No, I know about the X. I'm talking more about the audio/visual feedback, flinches, animations and common sense expectations from that feedback.

Big half naked dude in the favela takes a burst of fire to the chest from my AK and drops. Moments later he gets back up firing at me like I just annoyed him with the several bullet holes across his ribs. So I give him another burst and drop him again. Now imagine my shock, surprise and dismay when he pulls himself up yet again and opens fire like nothing happened.

That's textbook bullet-sponge in action, and I just don't want people to get the wrong idea. Armored foes are just that much tougher.

But don't get me wrong - I could write an essay on all the things this game gets wrong, but all the same I'm going to play the unholy shit out of it, just for the moments where it all comes together, both gunplay and character/world building.

Hmmmm, well I don't burst in this game so maybe that's why I'm not encountering these "issues." Either I get headshots, or I'm pumping fools with lead until I see that X and most everyone dies in like a second.
 
I've never had anyone get up a third time. Rarely a second time. You can pump a few extra into them when they go down to make sure, too. Sometimes I'm not sure if they're getting back up or if it's euphoria working it's magic. Like the time in the stadium I thought a dude was rolling towards me, then I realized he was dead and just rolling down the stairs......all the way to the bottom. Awesome.
Just happened about 10 minutes ago and to be fair it was the most egregious example so far (and the guy was built like Thor as opposed to the other rag tag enemies), but it does illustrate the point. I just don't want people to get the idea that this is one of those one-or-two shots to down an enemy games when it really isn't. Thats all.

And I'll say this, when the game gives you a nice open area to play with its nothing short of spectacular. I'm thoroughly hooked, even if repeatedly annoyed by some things.
 

bedlamite

Member
MP3 releases in my country today, and I was on the verge of getting it for the 360 but all the posts of tweaking sensitivity settings have gotten me to hold off for the PC version. I appreciate R* giving us a means to tweak the controls to out liking, but when it comes to precise headshotting I'll just stick to the old KB&M. I'm seeing more negative reactions to certain aspects of the game come out, which is a shame as I was anticipating this game...I'll still get it, but on the PC.
 
D

Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
I ask this as nonconfrontationally as possible:

Is there much more to this game other than moving into new rooms and shooting a bunch of guys? Everything I've seen about this game gives me major K&L2 vibes.

I enjoyed, for example, The Darkness II, but when I finished I realised I was kind of done with A to B shooters.

What's the hook? What makes this different from your standard shooter?
 

Dacon

Banned
I just beat it. Fucking loved every minute of it.

In a lot of ways it didn't feel like Max Payne, but I honestly didn't care because I was having so much fun and the story really clicked with me.

Fucking Max Payne going apeshit made my day.
 

Papercuts

fired zero bullets in the orphanage.
Just got to chapter 10. Shit got real during 9, really great sequence.

I ask this as nonconfrontationally as possible:

Is there much more to this game other than moving into new rooms and shooting a bunch of guys? Everything I've seen about this game gives me major K&L2 vibes.

I enjoyed, for example, The Darkness II, but when I finished I realised I was kind of done with A to B shooters.

What's the hook? What makes this different from your standard shooter?

It's basically all that or scenarios where he is leaping and you pick off people in slowmo. The hook is the plot and whether or not you like the combat basically. It's not a standard plop in cover and shoot game, you can be mobile and jump around, and it can be really satisfying. I'm not surprised to see such a mixed opinion on the game in general though.
 

Raptomex

Member
I ask this as nonconfrontationally as possible:

Is there much more to this game other than moving into new rooms and shooting a bunch of guys? Everything I've seen about this game gives me major K&L2 vibes.

I enjoyed, for example, The Darkness II, but when I finished I realised I was kind of done with A to B shooters.

What's the hook? What makes this different from your standard shooter?
Bullet time, intense combat, satisfaction from shooting enemies, a great story, replayability. At least that's why I love it.
 
I ask this as nonconfrontationally as possible:

Is there much more to this game other than moving into new rooms and shooting a bunch of guys? Everything I've seen about this game gives me major K&L2 vibes.

I enjoyed, for example, The Darkness II, but when I finished I realised I was kind of done with A to B shooters.

What's the hook? What makes this different from your standard shooter?

It's a shooter that does what it does better than the others.
 

MattDoza

Member
I ask this as nonconfrontationally as possible:

Is there much more to this game other than moving into new rooms and shooting a bunch of guys? Everything I've seen about this game gives me major K&L2 vibes.

I enjoyed, for example, The Darkness II, but when I finished I realised I was kind of done with A to B shooters.

What's the hook? What makes this different from your standard shooter?

Bullet time, intense combat, satisfaction from shooting enemies, a great story, replayability. At least that's why I love it.
Pretty much. If you're not in love with the gunplay, story, or just Max's persona, then there's not much beyond what Raptomex has listed here. Also, killer soundtrack.
 

soultron

Banned
I ask this as nonconfrontationally as possible:

Is there much more to this game other than moving into new rooms and shooting a bunch of guys? Everything I've seen about this game gives me major K&L2 vibes.

I enjoyed, for example, The Darkness II, but when I finished I realised I was kind of done with A to B shooters.

What's the hook? What makes this different from your standard shooter?

Laugh at me all you want for this, but this game is about expressing yourself in slow-motion while you dive through the air and shoot dudes in the head.

Seriously, if you plan ahead (and know what the game's mechanics are good for and what they're not good for) and think what you're going to do in any given encounter, you can have lots of fun with it.

At the end of the day it is just shooting lots of dudes, but the gunplay is solid, the story is a love it or hate it affair (the presentation is a matter of taste, but the dialogue and writing are great), and if you get good at the game, you can have a lot of fun with it. But again, if you play the way the game comes to you (with aiming assists and slow-as-molasses aiming speeds) out of the box, you probably won't like it.

So turn Free Aim on, crank the aim and acceleration sliders, and give it a go. It might not be for you (especially if you're not into Rockstar's latest games) but you might come out loving it like some of us in here too. There are definite problems with the game, but I'd still say it's one of the games in 2012 that you need to play.
 

jonno394

Member
Talking about the game being all about bullet time, free aim and planning ahead, my favourite bit so far (i've only started Chapter 4) was in Chapter 3 diving down and around the
stadium where there are about 6 guys with flashlights, jumped straight from the top of the steps thus giving myself a lot of flight time and took out the two at the bottom of the steps, the two on the first row and one on the set of steps parrallel to whereI was flying, then finished the last one off when I reached the bottom

Awesome game, but i'm dying a lot in hard mode so not good enough at it yet.
 

Fjordson

Member
I'm enjoying the way this feels more than most it seems. Controls feel pretty good to me and I can only hope GTA V feels at least as good (sans bullet time and the kill can stuff of course).

But like NullPointer said, it does have some flaws. I do feel like the game is unsure of itself based on how some of the encounters are designed. Sometimes I'm flying through the air, capping dudes left and right and it's quintessential Max Payne. Other times I feel like I'm being punished for leaving cover and end up getting torn up quickly. Even then I don't totally hate it, the gunplay is satisfying for me either way, but I would have liked to have spent less time in cover.

Also ran into a few atrocious checkpoints. Red Dead and Ballad of Gay Tony had pretty good ones, both huge improvements over GTA IV in that department, not sure why these are so bad.

Only have one more chapter to go, it's been a pretty great game for me all in all. Flawed but a lot of fun. I'm pretty impressed considering this is their first linear shooter and I'd imagine things would be much improved if they ever make another one. Also, I should note that Rockstar's writing and atmosphere really helps in driving me forward despite the above issues. Both are in fine form here, especially with Max. He has a lot of great lines and McCaffrey does a bang up job.

Though I have to say, playing this has reminded me of how much I can't wait for R* to return to an open world setting. Houser and company's writing gets better and better with each game, and RAGE and Euphoria look better than ever before, but their open world settings add so much to their games. So much detail and character and charm that doesn't really come across in a linear setting. All that, plus the mechanical improvements they've made means GTA V should be dope as hell.
 

Pranay

Member
534224_10151706549625456_897810455_24271163_1283815679_n.jpg


Finally
 

Izcarielo

Banned
Im going to buy the superior pc version, but out of curiosity: how is the console version regarding framerate, resolution and general IQ?
 
I'm enjoying the way this feels more than most it seems. Controls feel pretty good to me and I can only hope GTA V feels at least as good (sans bullet time and the kill can stuff of course).

But like NullPointer said, it does have some flaws. I do feel like the game is unsure of itself based on how some of the encounters are designed. Sometimes I'm flying through the air, capping dudes left and right and it's quintessential Max Payne. Other times I feel like I'm being punished for leaving cover and end up getting torn up quickly. Even then I don't totally hate it, the gunplay is satisfying for me either way, but I would have liked to have spent less time in cover.

Also ran into a few atrocious checkpoints. Red Dead and Ballad of Gay Tony had pretty good ones, both huge improvements over GTA IV in that department, not sure why these are so bad.

Only have one more chapter to go, it's been a pretty great game for me all in all. Flawed but a lot of fun. I'm pretty impressed considering this is their first linear shooter and I'd imagine things would be much improved if they ever make another one. Also, I should note that Rockstar's writing and atmosphere really helps in driving me forward despite the above issues. Both are in fine form here, especially with Max. He has a lot of great lines and McCaffrey does a bang up job.

Though I have to say, playing this has reminded me of how much I can't wait for R* to return to an open world setting. Houser and company's writing gets better and better with each game, and RAGE and Euphoria look better than ever before, but their open world settings add so much to their games. So much detail and character and charm that doesn't really come across in a linear setting. All that, plus the mechanical improvements they've made means GTA V should be dope as hell.

I haven't beaten the campaign yet, been away for a few days, but from what I've played, I can definitely agree with this. I've really enjoyed Max Payne 3, but GTAV is on the way and if MP3 and RDR are any indication, then it should be something spectacular in my opinion. Especially, if you are a fan of Rockstar's work.
 

soultron

Banned
I think one thing we can all agree on is that no game, even if Remedy had done it, would ever live up to all expectations. You see this happen all the time when it's been like 5-10 years since the last installment in Series X.

And if Max Payne had stayed the same way (enemies running around in the open waiting to be shot) it'd be a shit game by today's standards. I personally expect more from a modern game than one hook. I'll always fondly remember MP1+MP2, but they were a product of their time. We'd whine, "why isn't there a cover system, this is 2012!"

There are just some definite growing pains and some of the newer mechanics seem like they would've been perfect if they just had a tiny bit more time to cook in the oven. Still, stuff like the AI, Euphoria+the new animation system, the fantastic music, the environment design, the costuming, and certain encounter designs are just phenomenal.

I wonder if all of this is due to the fact that basically every single Rockstar studio had some hand in producing this title. It might not have been possible without using all the resources Rockstar has, but imagine if they all were in the same building. We'll never really know.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have office cubicles to shoot to pieces with my glock. Chapter 6 here we go!
 

Natiko

Banned
I didn't have high hopes for this game but man did it blow me away. Probably one of the best linear singleplayer campaigns in recent years. The game mechanics are really solid and the rest of the package is executed excellently.
 
Does this game continue the Rockstar tradition of the 360 version being better than the PS3? I'm thinking of picking the game up this weekend.

They are pretty much on par. I haven't heard of any differences. I have it on PS3. It's excellent. Stable frame rate (couple hitches during a few cutscenes, it's not often, very rare), looks 720, gorgeous game overall.
 
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